


Life with Father

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“With a teenager and two infants I think we might be up for sainthood if we make it out unscathed.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life with Father

**Author's Note:**

> This isn’t a part of the Falling for You series but it features the same characters. I jumped in time but when a story presents itself to be told I do my best to tell it. This is for rossileo for always encouraging and loving this ship. Also thanks to those who’ve read and enjoyed such a rare but fantastic pair.

**NOVEMBER 2012**

The phone rang while Kate was heating up her dinner. It was later than she wanted it to be but she worked later than expected. John wasn’t home when she arrived, which was strange since he was supposed to get off at six. She thanked Amanda for staying a little longer before calling her husband and leaving a voicemail. Then she got dinner for Stanley and seven month old Georgean Michelle. It was nearly 8 o’clock as she was getting her own dinner ready. Better late than never was the mantra the busy wife and mother lived by these days.

“Hello.”

“Hey baby. I called your cell phone back but it went straight to voicemail. I thought I’d give the house phone a try.”

“Hi. Are you alright? We expected you home by now.”

“I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn’t call but I was on the job. I'm still on the job.”

“What time do you think you'll get home?” Kate asked. She sat down at the kitchen table with her plate of spaghetti. Her stomach was growling.

“I'm not entirely sure. I just wanted to call and check on you and the kids.”

“We’re fine. The kids are fed and playing in the den. After I eat I'm going to put the baby down and Stanley will be in bed by nine.”

“We were supposed to watch _Wild Kingdom_ tonight.” John said.

“I know. You're not letting him down, John. He knows that sometimes your job is busy.”

“And you're sure you're alright.”

“I'm fine honey…we’re fine. I still want you to come home soon. I haven’t hugged you since first thing this morning.”

“I thought about you all day but was too busy to call.”

“Me too.”

The couple had been married for just over a year. It was just as amazing as Kate knew it would be. John was an attentive husband and father, even with his busy work schedule. He was loving and kind and gentle; so good to and for her. 

In the beginning of the year, three months after they got married, they started the adoption process. It was something that could take years for some families so John and Kate were prepared to wait it out. Georgean was placed with them in August. Four months old, her mother was in prison so lost custody of her. The courts didn’t know who the father was. 

She was the sweetest thing they’d ever seen with her cocoa skin and head full of dark brown ringlets. She was a member of the family as soon as the social worker brought her through the door. Juggling parenthood and a new marriage wasn’t always easy but they made the best of it. Kate was happy and so was John. That’s what mattered most.

“Can you put Stanley on the phone?” John asked. “I want to apologize to him.”

“Alright.” Kate put her hand over the mouthpiece. “Stanley, Dad is on the phone.”

He came running into the kitchen and his mother gently held out her hand to stop him. Stanley smiled as she handed him the phone.

“Hi Dad!”

“Hey bud. I'm going to be late coming home tonight so I'm not going to be able to watch _Wild Kingdom_ with you. I'm sorry.”

“It’s OK. Are you catching the bad guys?”

“I sure am. I don’t know when I’ll get home but I promise to kiss you goodnight. You can tell me all about the show tomorrow over breakfast.”

“I will! Be careful.”

“I will be. I love you kiddo.”

“Love you too.”

“Let me talk to mom again.”

“OK, here she is. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Kate took the phone back as Stanley went back into the den to look after his sister. She was safe in her playpen probably enjoying TV or playing with one of her many toys. Kate turned the volume down on some of her favorites. It could drive any parent nuts.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can.” John said.

“I’ll wait up for you.”

“It might be late.”

“Wake me if I don’t make it.” Kate replied. “I've got something special for you.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too, John. Be safe and come home to us.”

“I will. Bye now.”

“Bye.”

Kate got up and hung up the phone. Then she took her dinner into the den. Sure enough Stanley was sitting on the couch with Whiskers watching TV. Georgean amused herself but her mother could tell she was getting sleepy. She was almost sleeping through the night now with a warm bath and a bottle to fill her tummy.

“Which episode is on tonight?”

“They’re visiting the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya. It was started by people in the community where they leased their own land so the elephants can roam in peace and won't be poached for their tusks. The community makes money by charging for people to come look at the elephants. But it’s not a zoo.”

“It’s like a reserve.” Kate said.

“Yeah. I want to visit there, Mom.”

“I would love to go on safari in Kenya. It’s such a beautiful country and there are so many animals there. We could see everything from hippos to gazelles.”

“A lot of gazelles are endangered but the Springbok of Africa is actually expanding.” Stanley said. “Did you know a python could eat a gazelle?”

“I didn’t know that.” Kate shook her head. “You're a really smart kid; I'm glad you're mine.”

“The stuff about predators and prey is really interesting. You think I can talk to Dad about us going to Kenya?”

“I think you can talk to Dad about anything.”

“You think he might say yes?” Stanley asked.

“That would be quite an expensive trip, Stanley.”

“I know, but it would be awesome.”

“I have to agree with you there.” his mother nodded. “I'm gonna take the baby up in a few minutes for her bath and bottle. Are you going to be OK down here by yourself?”

“Uh huh.” He was back to listening to the television.

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.” he nodded. “It’s almost Georgie’s bedtime.”

“Yeah, I got home later than I expected tonight. I didn’t even have a chance to check your homework.”

“Amanda checked it. I had spelling words and science. It’s all done.”

Kate stopped talking. She knew Stanley didn’t like to be interrupted when watching his favorite shows. But things had been so busy lately she didn’t feel like they had good conversations. This weekend they’d go out and spend some time together as a family. John had Sunday off so maybe they’d take the kids to the museum in Manchester or to the diner and the comic book store. It didn’t matter what they did as long as she got to spend a few hours just being Stanley and Georgean’s mom.

***

“Hey.”

She got out of bed and walked into her husband’s arms. As soon as he was holding her, Kate exhaled. John did the same. He knew that she worried about him. His job could be dangerous. They didn’t talk about it a lot but they both knew. 

John never walked into the station thinking that day could be his last. The truth of the matter was that it could be. He and his wife always made sure that they said I love you and showed each other too. He never wanted to leave her or his kids. That was why they didn’t talk about work too much.

“You made it.” he whispered, kissing her lips.

“Mmm hmm.”

“I bought these for you.” he handed her the dahlias. “They're a little wilted since they sat in the car for a couple of hours.”

“I don’t care.” Kate inhaled the scent of them. “They're beautiful, thank you. Did you kiss the kids goodnight?”

Georgean’s nursery was right next to their bedroom. Then there was the bathroom, an empty bedroom, and Stanley’s room was in the back. Kate had fallen in love with the house on Peach Street, even if it needed some TLC when they first moved in. John did a lot of work himself, with the help of friends like Sam Kassmeyer and Derek Morgan. Now it was home.

“I kissed them twice for good measure.” He was still holding onto her.

“Was it really bad?”

Kate wasn’t sure she was going to ask. She just wanted John to know he could always open up to her, even about the hard stuff. There was no doubt he had days when his job was agonizing.

“It wasn’t one of my favorite things for sure.” he replied. “I'm going to go in at 8 tomorrow but I will be home by 6 barring emergency.”

“I'm just glad you're home now.”

“My plan is to take a quick, hot shower and then lie in bed with you. You can fall asleep if you want to baby…I just wanna hold you.”

“I’ll wait up.” Kate smiled and caressed his face.

“You wanna tell me how I got so lucky?” John asked.

“Someone up there really likes us.”

“I think so too. I’ll put the flowers in some water.”

She kissed him and then held onto him tight. He wasn’t the only one who was lucky; he knew that. They’d found each other and knew it was the right thing in both of their lives. Few things had ever been as effortless for Kate as loving John and being his wife. As he went into the master bath, she slipped back between the sheets with her book. 

Kate was plowing through the latest Women’s Murder Club mystery. One hour or so a night she just escaped in its pages. That was usually all the time she had but it helped her come down from very busy days. When she moved to Newberry two years ago just looking for a positive change, Kate never would've imagined her life being like this. Mother, wife, lover, researcher, friend…she wore many different hats. Each one fulfilled her and made her complete.

000

“I didn’t make it.” Kate whispered as John spooned behind her in bed.

“Its OK, the shower was longer than I expected. Mmm, you feel so good.”

“We should do this every night.”

“Yes, let’s write that down somewhere…maybe recite it to each other in front of our friends.”

Kate laughed some, turning in his arms. John could see the happiness in her face. She was tired. It was late and she was tired a lot, but she still glowed. He couldn’t help caressing her face and kissing her softly.

“You said you had something special for me.” he said.

“It’s late now. I think we can wake up before the kids and see what happens.”

“If we wake up before Georgie I don’t think either of us will make it till noon.” John grinned.

“On Sunday I want us to just spend family time together. I know this new case may keep you busy but I want a few hours.”

“You’ve got it. What do you want to do?”

“We’ll keep it simple.” Kate replied. “We’ll take the kids to the diner for brunch and then maybe to the comic book or the toy store. Just let them run free for a little while and watch them in awe.”

“That sounds like the perfect plan to me. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Mom is coming and guess who isn’t on call for the first time since 2006.”

“Oh my God, no interruptions?” Kate put her arms around his neck.

“No interruptions and I got Wednesday off as well. By the time Monday comes you'll be pushing me out the door.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I’ll probably want to keep you forever and ever.”

“I'm here, Mrs. Barton.”

“Anyway, soon there's going to be even more things keeping us busy.” Kate said. “With a teenager and two infants I think we might be up for sainthood if we make it out unscathed.”

“Two…”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“I'm a little confused.” John said. “I don’t think I’d normally be confused but it was a long day and I'm just…”

“I'm pregnant John.”

“You're…” he inhaled sharply through his nose and began to tremble. “What?”

“I'm pregnant.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I've known for nearly three weeks. I didn’t want to tell you until I was out of my first trimester. The chances for miscarriage lower significantly. I was so excited but worried too. Sharing the news and then having something happen…I didn’t want us to have to go through that.”

“You're having a baby?”

John was breathing really fast. Kate put her hand over his heart and it was beating like she never felt it beat before. She knew that he was happy but he was also shocked. There was no doubt he was since she was as well when she found out.

“We’re having a baby.” She smiled.

“I love you so much.” the tears started to fall and soon he was sobbing. She pulled him close, just holding him against her. John held on too. “I love you, Kate.”

“I love you too.”

“You're really…” his hand rested on her abdomen, still as flat as it was yesterday and the week before.

“Yes.” Kate put her hand over his. “I really thought it was stress. I didn’t even realize I’d missed my cycle until I looked at the calendar and saw the red circle. Still I wasn’t going to worry about it too much. We’ve been so busy and I was feeling OK so I didn’t think anything was wrong. Then one morning there was just something deep in my belly telling me to go and buy a pregnancy test.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t want to listen to it. I can't even say it was because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Getting pregnant wasn’t even registering on my radar. Finally at lunch I just snuck out to the pharmacy and bought one. It was not negative.”

“Not negative?” John smiled.

“Yeah.” Kate nodded. “The next day I went back to the pharmacy and bought three more tests. They went from ridiculously cheap to ‘oh my God, I could see my doctor for this price’. They were not negative too. So I went to the GYN…she gave me a blood and urine test. 

“When they were both not negative I finally just knew. She told me that I was nine weeks so I had three weeks to go until the first trimester was over. I saw her again yesterday. I'm fine, the baby’s fine, and I couldn’t wait to tell you.”

“And here I am coming home late. You must have been ready to explode.”

“Maybe.” she smiled, wiping the tears from his cheek. “I'm just happy that you're happy.”

“I'm more than happy, Kate; I just don’t know what word to use yet.”

“Sleep.”

“That wasn’t the one I was going for.” John shook his head.

“We’ve got months ahead to talk about everything from baby names to what we’re going to do with all the boxes in the storage room when the time comes for a nursery. Right now if we don’t go to sleep we’re going to be zombies in the morning.”

“You're going to need more rest in the coming months.”

He wrapped his arms around Kate as she snuggled against him. He loved being a detective, a husband, father, and good neighbor. With his wife in his arms, John felt invincible. As if he needed more reason to walk on air tonight.

“I'm starting right now.” Kate said, giving him a squeeze.

“I’ll get up with Georgie in the morning.”

“Thank you honey; goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams, I love you.”

John felt Kate falling asleep. He just lay there for a while; sure he was wearing a stupid grin on his face. They were having a baby. Kate was pregnant. It was something John let himself stop believing in long before he met her. 

The doctors told him it would take a miracle with his sperm count. No man wanted to hear something like that. It had John down and out for a while, even more so when Laura walked out on him. He was going to have to get used to never being a father. No matter how hard he tried, something inside him just couldn’t do that. 

Now he knew why. Kate walked into his life and she brought Stanley with her. John couldn’t have asked for a more amazing son. Then Georgean arrived and from the moment he held her, John knew she would always be Daddy’s little girl. As his heart and mind settled enough to sleep, he started to wonder what the newest member of the family would be like. 

Were they going to have a boy or girl? Would the baby have his eyes or Kate’s? Would they be fearless like Stanley or full of spirit and personality like Georgean? Suddenly he was the father of three, and life couldn’t get better than that.

***


End file.
